Akatsuki's Little Anomaly
by storygirl1015
Summary: Orphan. Akatsuki. Ice. This is how Hikari describes herself, the orphan with the rare kekkei genkai that the Akatsuki have been raising since she was a few days old. She serves her 'family' dutifully as their invaluable tool. But her kind spirit ultimately put her at odds with their goals, and she finds herself forced to make an impossible choice. Eventual AkaxOCxmulti
1. A Discovery

**I have kinda wanted to do a story like this for a while. And yes, it's been done, but I love stories where the Akatsuki raise a baby~! lol So I've decided to try my hand at one myself. And because I didn't want it to be a **_**random **_**OC, I made her have family ties to a real Naruto character. But you'll have to read to find out who! But for now you can start by leaving a friendly review for this chapter~**

_**I don't own Naruto. But I do own Hikari.**_

**Summary:** Hikari, orphan from the Hidden Mist Village, is found and raised by Akatsuki. As she grows up, she finds her special powers make her both a rare commodity and unfortunately, a walking travesty. Struggling to find acceptance in a world where everything different is dangerous and unwelcomed, she begins to follow her own path in the way of the shinobi, fighting to protect those most precious to her. But what happens when she meets the long-lost twin brother she never knew she had and finds out where she truly came from? And when her sense of moral justice is completely skewered, can she still find solace through a new destiny?

* * *

**Ch. 1**: A Discovery

Feet trampled over the cold, crunchy landscape, the only sound breaking the silence of the foggy, chilled air. A lone figure, wrapped only in a thin cloak, traveled alone on foot through the desolate outskirts of Kirigakure, hoping to find the refuge they sought before nightfall.

The small bundle clutched tightly inside the cloak wriggled slightly, but otherwise made no sign of being alive. In her mind, the cloaked figure prayed desperately for a way to keep it from dying before she could reach her destination, otherwise her entire trip would be for nothing. A garbled sound caught the masquerader's attention and, slowing to a halt, one inconspicuous peek was cast at the contents of the blanket. A small sigh of relief escaped the frosty blue, chapped lips.

At least she was safe, for now. But neither one would be for long if she couldn't reach the border on schedule. The small babe, her eyes closed in weariness, her rosy cheeks painfully frosty, was completely unaware that at only a few hours old, she was a fugitive. It wasn't because of any wrong the baby had committed, of course, but simply because she was _alive_.

Sadly, after the last war that had ravished their homeland, where so many lives were lost and those with the rare bloodline abilities endowed to only a select few shinobi lineages had been used as killing machines, hostilities still ran very high. Those who had survived the war and possessed bloodlines had been hunted down and destroyed. The rest had gone into hiding, concealing their amazing abilities and living as best they could in the impoverished nation as ordinary civilians.

Yet, it was worse still for the offspring of these surviving victims. For though they had committed no crime, being born the children of these refugees and inheriting their parents' kekkei genkai made them just as likely to be killed, since they were helpless, and a possible 'threat' to the Hidden Mist in the future. Which was why, this lone woman, was risking everything to see that the child of her dearest friend made it to safety.

Normally, when a woman discovered she was pregnant, it was a time of great joy and celebration. But when that woman was already walking a razor-thin line to hide any suspicion that might condemn her to death, and then had to fear for the safety of her unborn children, who undoubtedly would share the same fate, it became a time of danger and apprehension.

And so, when Hanaka had given birth to a pair of healthy and beautiful twins, she had decided to raise the boy, while faking the death of the younger twin, secretly passing her off to be raised by a surrogate family somewhere far, far away from danger. It wasn't particularly that she loved one child more than the other, simply that she had to make a choice, and because her husband had said he'd wanted a male heir, it would be best to act as if she'd only had one baby, a son, to begin with.

Her daughter, she had given to a friend, who had disguised herself as a midwife to take out of the country and find a decent home for her somewhere else. Maybe in a quiet rural village where she'd never be exposed to the kind of violence and prejudice their kind had been condemned to for generations now.

It was a heartbreaking decision to say the least, possibly the hardest any new mother could ever make, but now that their fates had been sealed, there was no going back, only forward. And so the young woman struggled on through the almost knee-deep snow and blisteringly cold winds, knowing there was much more than her own life at stake.

* * *

It was storming heartily, and the cloaked figures trudging through the bad weather had stopped in Grass Country for a while to find shelter, since traveling in such conditions would be truly foolhardy and a waste of stamina. They'd found a cave in a remote hilly area to settle down for the night, and as one carefully set up an area to start a fire, the other paced near the entrance, looking out at the weather. "It doesn't seem like this rain has any intention of letting up..."

"Yes, I agree. But if the weather becomes too much of a hindrance, I could always manipulate things in our favor."

"Perhaps, but a meager storm such as this isn't worth spending chakra on controlling. We'll set out again at dawn, and if we travel at a steady pace, I'm sure we could make it back before nightfall tomorrow."

"Hn." he grunted quietly, not speaking as he finished building the pit and placing the pile of sticks they'd gathered in it. It had been hard to find dry wood to use, but it was enough, and with a great puff of air he blew life into the flames.

"You know...I think I saw some native fruits not far from here, I think I'll gather up some things for us to eat." the slightly shorter figure spoke quietly, the voice the smooth and sultry voice of a woman. Her partner nodded, and she streaked out of the cave, the weather preventing her from using her special jutsu.

It wasn't long until she came upon the fruit bushes she had seen, and set to work gathering berries that they could share for the night. She also found some wild nuts, and had just pulled out a scroll in which she could seal the foods she'd gathered, when something unusual caught her attention. It looked to be some sort of cloth, in one of the tree hollows, and upon closer inspection, she sensed an actual _human_ chakra signature emitting from it, and realized what the thing was with a start.

" A child..." she stated, her voice calm although her thoughts were slightly bemused. Indeed, there, wrapped in the blankets, was a baby looking no more than a few days old, its eyes shut tight and its rose-tinted cheeks puffed out in seeming discomfort.

It was an odd discovery, to say the least, as there was no village for hundreds of miles from this particular forest area, and the babe was so young it was hard to imagine someone leaving it willingly. But she'd seen people do much crueler things in her lifetime, and so, it really came as no surprise to her. She stood staring at the infant for a moment, silently wondering how long it had been left alone to fend for itself.

Perhaps no more than a day in a half, as she was sure a baby so small and frail-looking could not survive on its own for much longer than that, especially not in the middle of the wilderness where ferocious wild beasts lived and roamed. The rain had been a stroke of luck for the near newborn, the woman realized, as it deterred some of the forest creatures from hunting and had most likely masked the scent of the tender young would-be meal, throwing the animals of the baby's trail.

_'So then, this little one is truly all alone._' she gazed around, even as she knew her thoughts to be true. It wasn't the first time she'd discovered an abandoned child, and she'd either convinced her partner to allow her to take them to an orphanage when there was one nearby, or had simply put them out of their misery when necessary, such as when they were raiding a village.

She looked at the seemingly sleeping child once again, noticing how its chest seemed to rise and fall at a slightly jerky rate. Apparently, the cold had already set into its fragile little bones and it wouldn't be too long before the tiny heart stopped completely. If some hungry predator didn't turn her into a snack, first...

"I pity you, little one, truly." she spoke to the infant, her right hand traveling to the small pouch at her hip. "But, I think it's best if I could just end your suffering." As the cold sound of metal being pulled from its holder filled the air, she gently drew the lethal weapon to the side of the babe's neck, intending to make it a quick and painless departure, but as she was about to flick her hand across the vulnerable flesh, small, barely working eyes slowly squinted open to look at her for the first time, and Konan found herself pausing in spite of herself as her cold sapphire orbs gazed upon the misted gray of the baby's.

Those eyes were blurry from exhaustion and unfocused from hardly ever having been used, but they held a kind of ephemeral light that all but stole her breath away. It was a hard sensation to describe, and if anyone had asked her what she'd seen in those soft, misted orbs in that moment, she would've responded, "Something heavenly...the light of an angel."

It was true, she'd never seen such a steady, peaceful glow in someone's eyes, and they shone, not in a brilliant sort of way, although her eyes were indeed beautiful, but in a way like heaven's light being reflected in the eyes of a child. Those eyes, with their calm gaze seemed to see right through her, and the look was so penetrating, she knew at once she could never bring herself to harm such an indescribably brilliant creature.

Her weapon having been replaced inside her holster, and the scroll securely tucked away inside her cloak, Konan reached out with both hands and gently took the baby from her shelter, cradling her close in silent awe. Above her, the rain had nearly stopped, slowing down to a light, almost refreshing drizzle; but she hardly noticed now, her attention focused solely on the child in her arms.

"You...you're no ordinary newborn. There's something in you..." she trailed off, finding it pointless to continue this discussion with someone who clearly couldn't understand. Instead she held the infant closer to her body in an attempt to warm her, and she received a serene, almost grateful look in return. "I'll bring you back with me..." she murmured, more to herself than the child. "Pein must see this."

**-XoXoXoXo-**

"What could you possibly have been thinking, bringing it here? Clearly, this helpless creature has no place among us." her God spoke once she'd returned, along with an unexpected surprise...

She didn't bother to argue, but instead merely nodded. "Yes, I agree that normally it would be irrirational to bring a defenseless child along with us, but-"

"Regardless of your reasoning, she simply cannot stay. You must either leave it where you found it or kill it here. But once we return to the base, it can no longer be with us."

"Pein...if you will only here me out, I will explain my reasoning fully."

"Proceed then."

"This child is special; I have seen it with my own eyes, and felt a sort of ethereal energy from within her. She has immense power dormant inside her, and will be a great asset in the future. She belongs with us."

"How can you be so sure?" he cast his steely, narrowed eyes on the slumbering infant in his partner's hands, and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Sure enough, there was a strange aura in that chakra.

"I just know." she replied confidently.

"Let me see her for a minute," the god commanded, and silently the blue-haired woman gave the baby to him. He studied her critically, looking for any faults, anything that might prove her to be nothing more than a useless burden after all, and found only an overwhelming essence of purity.

It wasn't the normal pureness that all newborns possessed, but more like a faint glow in its own right. It intrigued him, and he watched as the foggy gray eyes blinked open to look up at his stern face. She stared into those chilling, ringed orbs of his, the ones that so many feared, loathed and respected, and did the most extraordinary thing...she smiled.

A happy, bubbly smile. It was if she had trusted him completely. And to think such a tiny, delicate creature had put all her faith into him, someone who was capable of extinguishing life in less than a second, was something that somewhere deep down, touched a chord within him.

For a moment he found himself lost in those innocent orbs, and, almost imperceptibly, his lips quirked up, in the barest display of approval. But Konan, who had been observing the whole time, knew her partner better than anyone else on earth, for they had once grown up together, and she shared his vision of a new world order, where pain and war and death were nonexistent.

She knew him inside and out, and she could read even the barest flicker of emotion he showed, even if it was invisible to everyone else. She could see that he was pleased at least on some level, and that was a good sign. She allowed herself to breath more evenly; the child had passed the test...at least for now.

"I suppose it might be worth taking the time to study her for now..." the Ame leader concluded.

Konan clasped her hands together appreciatively and gave the orange haired man a warm, charming smile.

"Thank you, Pein. I know you won't regret it."

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was boring and not so much focused on the Akatsuki or Hikari, but I wanted to start by giving the plot a kind of back-story. More will be revealed later, and I hope you all continue to stick around. I promise it gets better next chapter, since that's when the Akatsuki really have a much larger role. Please R &R so I know if this story has any potential or not. But please remember to be kind and not overly-critical; no flames.**


	2. Hikari

**Ch.2**: Hikari

"How are we going to tell them about this?"

"Simple. We'll say she will be staying with us from now, and everyone here will be contributing to training and raising her."

"Somehow, I don't think they'll be pleased to hear about this."

"It doesn't matter; as leader, I'm the one that gives orders, and they'll simply have to follow them." Pein and Konan were in his office, Konan feeding the tiny infant a bottle as they discussed future plans to raise her into the Akatsuki. After getting back, Konan had gone and gotten all the necessary baby items they'd need. Except for a crib, which left them with one small nuisance...

"She needs somewhere to sleep." the kunoichi spoke again after a while of silence. The leader nodded.

"Yes, I've already thought of that." Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door, and Pein instructed the visitor to come in. A man, looking more like a boy just having reached puberty with red hair and sleepy looking amber eyes walked in, bowing before the Akatsuki leader. "You called Leader-sama."

"Sasori." Pein said smoothly, "I have a task for you."

The puppet master glanced around the room rather apathetically, before his eyes landed back on Pein. He seemed to have not noticed Konan yet, though in reality, he was simply paying attention to the leader, since he held priority as their superior. Even if his requests _could_ sometimes be somewhat irksome...

"I need you to build a crib." he continued, and at this, the puppet couldn't help but raise an eyebrow skeptically.

"Come again."

"I need a crib, for our newest subordinate." Sasori blinked slowly. _Okaaay_. So there was a new recruit? Well, he supposed that made some sense as to why he'd been called. And it wasn't that unusual for them to get young members. After all, it wasn't about age in the Akatsuki, but power and skill. But seriously, what kind of possible member would still require a crib?

Pein smirked lightly, pleased with the blankly quizzical look in the young male's dull eyes. He made a silent gesture to Konan, who nodded and rose from her seat. "Sasori," he spoke, accepting the tiny bundle, "I'd like you to meet the Akatsuki's newest candidate, Hikari."

Sasori squinted to see was his leader was holding in the dark, his sharp eyes just managing to make out a tiny body and a patch of dark hair.

"But that's a baby." the puppet stated flatly. He'd known Pein to come up with some rather eccentric plans in the past...but this time he was sure that the Akatsuki's so-called god had completely lost the little sanity he may have previously possessed. Because there was no way a child, no, a mere _infant_ was actually going to be admitted into the Akatsuki.

"I'm well aware of that, Sasori." he grunted impatiently. "I plan to raise her until she is old enough to become a kunoichi, then you and the other members are going to help train her in the ninja arts, and possibly unlock any special bloodlines she may possess."

Saosori's dull cinnamon eyes narrowed, and he stared at the wriggling bundle cryptically. "You cannot seriously expect me to have anything to do with that...pathetic creature. I demand an explanation."

"Fine, then we'll converge in the usual place shortly. I've already contacted the other members. You're dismissed."

And with that the redheaded teenager gave a dull grunt of displeasure before disappearing.

**-XoXoXoXoX-**

Pein let his sharp gaze glance around the room, his eyes locking on each of the holographic forms gathered in the dim cave before he began speaking. "It's been a while since we've gathered like this. But soon, that may not be the case...we've gotten a new recruit."

A chorus of slow murmurs went up from the gathered shinobi, and after a few minutes, Pein continued in his usual monotone. "Recently, Konan and myself made a rather interesting discovery." he said, and Konan handed him the baby, which they'd decided to call Hikari. "This child." and he lifted the baby girl high above his head for all to see.

For a moment, shocked silence enveloped the members like a smothering blanket, before someone spoke up, "L-Leader-sama...is that really..."

"Yes Kisame, it is." Pein clarified. He then proceeded to tell the story of how she'd been found, and the unusual essence of chakra she seemed to possess.

"So let me get this straight," Sasori began dully, "You want us, an elite group of S-ranked criminals, to help babysit some brat you found in the woods, who you think has...some unique hidden ability?"

Sasori absolutely _despised_ children and all they stood for, especially babies. They were noisy, obnoxious, needy, and had a penchant for testing his patience, or what little he possessed.

"After a fashion, yes." Pein replied. "And I don't _think_; it's clear to me that she has some sort of dormant power, as her chakra is far beyond that of any normal infant."

"Ah, so then a superhuman weapon of sorts, eh?" the deep rumble of the Akatsuki's treasurer, Kakuzu, echoed through the cave.

"Precisely." Pein's Rinnegan eyes glimmered cryptically in the darkness.

"But it's _still _just a fucking baby! How the hell is a damn kid gonna be one of us?" the loudmouth of the organization, Kakuzu's partner Hidan bellowed.

"How indeed..." Konan smiled calmly.

* * *

The loud wails of a two month old baby filled the halls, as an angry looking redhead stormed out of his room, holding the infant at arms' length, his face screwed up with disgust. How she'd ended up there was still just as big a mystery as why he hadn't killed her yet.

After all, the infant had just barely learned to sit up, let alone crawl. But somehow she managed to find her way into his workroom, where she liked to hide among his many puppets as if they were some kind of exciting baby jungle gym for her to explore.

Several times she had barely missed getting pricked by his highly lethal senbon after setting off one of the puppet's (**A/N: the puppets he uses in battle**) hidden traps, out of sheer dumb luck. There was no way he could concentrate on anything with an overly rambunctious baby around.

He took her to her 'playpen' in the living room (which was more of a padded mat surrounded by heavy-duty ninja mesh), and roughly tossed her inside. "Here brat," he growled. "Now stay out of my room." and with that he stormed off, not even glancing at the still crying baby.

Hikari sat in the middle of her playpen bawling her eyes out, tears running down her chubby cheeks. It was loud enough to draw the attention of a certain sanin, who had just walked into the living room. Slowly, he crept towards the child, studying her with a certain gleam in his eyes.

"My, my...what do we have here? An abandoned treasure, perhaps?" he almost hissed out the words, a cold smile on his thin lips.

Hikari stopped crying briefly to look up at the sound of the new voice, but when she saw the scary golden eyes leering down at her, she started to cry all over again. Out of all the people in the base, Orochimaru was definitely her least favorite. Even though she was just a baby, some part of her knew instinctively to fear the man.

Strangely enough, Orochimaru seemed to have taken a special interest in the child, something quite uncommon and out of character. For the man had also sensed the powerful dormant chakra, and believed the child could grow to suit his own purposes in time.

He studied her carefully, volunteering to watch her at times, only to take her to his lab to run tests on, prodding her with needles. He was always careful to cover his tracks, making sure never to severely harm the child or do anything that might draw attention to his true intentions in anyway, and for the most part, it seemed to be working.

He regarded the child with vague amusement as she looked up at him sourly, fresh tears still brimming at the corner of her large gray eyes. She was a small, delicate looking baby with naturally rosy cheeks, dark hair, misty eyes and long lashes.

In fact, she was something similar to a porcelain doll, and it wasn't hard to see the kind of beauty she'd be when she grew up. Perhaps even a suitable body when the time came...Orochimaru smirked.

The pale hand reached toward the child and she whimpered, remembering the feel of his waxy skin and the dangerous intent just beyond the frozen smile and cruelly 'polite' facade. She didn't want to go with this man. She wanted the nice blue-haired lady to come and hold her, or even the serious-faced man with all the piercings to get her. Anyone...anyone but_ him_.

He had just picked her up in his cold hands when an annoyed sounding voice sounded from the other side of the room. "Oi, what the hell's going on? I can't do a ritual with all that fucking noise." Orochimaru turned, his smooth smile bac k in place, a condescending look as he eyed the young man leaning in the living room's entranceway.

"Ah Hidan-san, what an...abrupt meeting." The sanin smiled, his grasp on the child tightening slightly, causing her to whine plaintively.

Said man only eyed the sanin from the corner of his eyes with a low aggravated grunt, arms crossed over his bare chest. Personally, he never did like the creepy bastard. And it was clear that many of the other members felt the same. There was just something about those slitted eyes and oily voice that set your nerves on edge. But mostly it pissed Hidan off.

If he wasn't supposed to be some big-shit "legendary" shinobi, he would have chopped his sorry ass in half a long time ago. Unfortunately though, Orochimaru proved to be an asset at the moment, being a sanin and former Leaf ninja, and so he wasn't going anywhere for now. Wouldn't stop Hidan of imagining endless, painful ways in which he could torture and destroy the snake freak.

Orochimaru noticed the young man eying him maliciously, looking ready to slice his head off, and his lips stretched in a thin, wide smile as he stood there patiently.

"Is there something wrong, Hidan-san?" he questioned innocently. For some reason castrating the snake_ before_ torturously killing flashed to the top of the young man's to-do list.

He didn't know all the details, but apparently part of the reason he'd been so readily accepted into the Akatsuki was for his work in trying to perfect a forbidden jutsu involving reanimating the dead and immortality.

Now, of course Hidan knew a thing or two about death _and_ being an immortal. To him, killing was a rite of passage only granted to the chosen of Jashin-sama. No matter what those other heathens claimed their reasons were, making sacrifices to gain his god's graces was all that really mattered. And as for being an immortal, only those who could pass Jashin-sama's trials deserved such a gift.

By being an obedient follower, he had earned his god's approval and been bestowed the gift of immortality. Some low-life fucking scum like Orochimaru would never, _could _never understand the blasphemy of trying to gain immortality without first being given Jashin-sama's approval.

Hidan snarled in a poor attempt to veil his utter loathing of the older man, "No, I was just fucking wondering what the hell you were gonna do with the kid." he gave a sharp roll of his eyes, his words bitter. "Not that I really give a shit. But you know how fucking bitchy Konan gets when you mess with it. I don't need any more distractions messing up my damn ritual, especially not that hollering banshee."

Normally, Konan was a calm, graceful woman. Powerful, mysterious, and almost as poker-faced as their stoic leader. But for some reason, when it came to the little runt, she became almost...overprotective.

Like some wild animal on the attack defending her baby. Hidan being Hidan and not understanding the pull of a woman's maternal instincts simply assumed her stupid hormones were screwed up or something.

Orochimaru tilted his head to the side and his lips formed an amused circle. "Yes...I agree." he nodded slowly. "This child is...an indispensable resource of the organization. Her abilities should not be wasted." he placed her back down in the meshed pen, patting her soft head in a mockingly caring manner. "For now, I think I'll...return to my research." he gave a casual nod, as if he hadn't just been caught in the act of trying to..._forcefully decipher_ the Akatsuki's newest and youngest recruit and strolled away down the dark corridor.

The young Jashinist watched him go, violet eyes burning contemptuously into the snake sanin's back. "Creepy snake fucker... can't wait 'til I finally get a chance to gut the bastard." he muttered darkly to himself, lost in his brutal thoughts.

That is, until he heard the quiet whining of the child he had just involuntarily saved. He glanced down at the pen to see the baby sitting up with her arms outstretched towards him, whining pitifully. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the child was waiting to be picked up and comforted by her silver-haired savior.

Never mind that he killed in cold blood in the name of his malignant god, or that he was crude, rude, and altogether one of the most hostile members anyone could come across in the Akatsuki. To an innocent-minded baby who had been frightened out of her mine by the scary snake man, he was like a ray of sunshine through the dark clouds of a thunderstorm.

Hidan eyed the infant lazily, either not picking up on her obvious distress or simply ignoring it. To him, the baby was a nuisance. Not as big a nuisance as that money-pinching bastard he was forced to call a partner, or the nagging "Angel" of the Akatsuki, or the _other _members, all of whom he despised to some degree.

But either way the kid was a pain in the ass and he didn't like dealing with her unless their stick-up-the-ass leader made him do what the other members had began to refer to as "baby duty", a chore that virtually everyone but Orochimaru seemed to loathe.

"What the hell are you looking at runt?" he sneered half-heartedly, shifting his weight back onto the balls of his feet in a relaxed stance. Hikari continued to flail her tiny limbs at him, practically begging to be held. When it seemed he had no intention of fulfilling her desire, her pathetic whimpers increased tenfold and fresh tears began to form in her eyes.

With a half cocked eyebrow, he bent over the pen, lazily dangling his arm into it. The baby seemed at first surprised that he actually seemed to be complying, but then quickly scrambled over to the hanging limb before it got pulled away, out of her reach again.

"Nnm...!" she babbled frantically, managing to close her tiny fist around one of his fingers. The Jashinist watched the baby with barely tolerated amusement. The instant she did anything to piss him off, he would fling her ass through the wall.

He watched her lift the finger to her face to study intently and he couldn't help but give a cruel smirk, "You're so fucking small it's pathetic. I could fucking fling your ass across the room like no big shit." he muttered darkly.

Hikari paid him no mind, leaning forward to draw the long digit into her mouth. "What the he-" the Jashinist drew back with a start. "Hey you little bitch, I'm not some fucking chew toy. Go suck on a damned bottle or something if you're that hungry." he glared coldly down at the child, who stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes, obviously hurt by his rejection. She sniffled, and then started to whimper again...

"Oh hell no, don't you fucking dare start that shit again!" he growled, reaching over to snatch the baby up roughly. He held her at eye level with him, and just as soon as her sniffles had started, they stopped.

Now she looked at him curiously, head tilted, as if he were some brand new discovery. "Mmf..." she reached out a tiny hand to place over his nose. He blinked, growling ever so slightly at the uninvited touching. A moment later, Hikari smiled brightly, a wide, toothless grin, putting her other hand to his cheek.

"Hey runt, didn't I say..." he paused as he looked her directly in her misty gray eyes, watching the colors shift in them almost imperceptibly. They were a brilliant shade of hazel, normally gray but with flecks of dark green in them too. _'Shit,'_ he thought in absentminded wonder.

Hikari stared back at the violet-eyed teen just as intently. For some reason, even though he was rash and prone to unprovoked acts of violence, she felt no fear with this man, in stark contrast to the way she felt around the leeringly cold eyes of the sanin.

She giggled a happy baby giggle. She liked this man. Hidan arched an eyebrow in confusion at the kid's weird behavior. What the hell was she laughing about? Wasn't she supposed to be crying when she saw him?

That's what most kids did anyway. Come to think of it, she was a pretty screwed up baby; she never seemed to cry whenever she saw the other members, and most _adults _found them terrifying. The only one she clearly feared was Orochimaru.

"Fucking weird ass kid." he muttered to himself. "What kind of baby actually_ laughs_ in the face of a killer?" Hikari merely blinked up at him innocently. Hidan rolled his eyes and gave another irritated snort, but this time, something akin to a tiny smirk pulled at his lips. "Well, since there's nothing to do, might as well see what's on the shitty ass TV." he grumbled, more to himself than the infant.

Walking over to the couch with Hikari in tow, he plopped himself down on the slightly uncomfortable cushions and stretched his entire body along its length. With his head on one end and his feet propped up on the arm of the other, he sat Hikari down on his rock hard stomach as he grabbed the remote and pointed it towards the TV Kakuzu had brought back from one of his bounty hunting excursions a few months ago.

Flicking through the channels with a dull expression, he hardly paid the little girl any attention, as she sat herself up and looked at the flashing light of the TV, her bright eyes wide with awe. Hidan continued to channel surf, looking for something that at least had some gore or something along those lines.

He hated those sappy-ass dramas Konan seemed to be so fond of and made everyone watch whenever she had the remote. Those boring ass nature documentaries Kisame liked were really no better in his opinion, except that there'd be a vicious fight scene from time to time between two creatures fighting for survival.

And don't even get him started on the fucking gardening channel that Zetsu liked. Zetsu having the remote was probably the worst...he could never agree with himself on what to watch. His black half liked violence almost as much as Hidan himself, while his white half favored peaceful shows about gardening or cooking and the like.

Finally, he managed to find something grotesque enough to keep his interest. A marathon of movies about the undead, featuring The Zombie Apocalypse.

He watched as the indestructible creatures slowly feasted on the living and wiped out the human race. A tingle of excitement rushed up his spine whenever he saw a zombie bite into someone's brain, or someone get their guts blown out. "Ngh...!"

"Eh?" he glanced down to see the baby with her hands over her eyes and her face scrunched up in obvious terror. He couldn't help but laugh at her all too predictable reaction. "What's wrong?" he chuckled darkly, lifting her up so she was now on his chest. "You scared of a little fucking gore? C'mon this movie's really not even that damned scary."

But Hikari seemed completely unconvinced; she peeked at Hidan through her fingers before looking at him with watery eyes and shaking her head. "Mmmgh...!" she whined in obvious distress, getting ready to spill big, fat tears of displeasure.

"Oi, c'mon now! You can't fucking cry!" his voice held an almost panicked edge, something rare for the loudmouthed, crude Jashinist. He was practically sweating bullets as he hoisted the little girl up into his arms again. "What the hell do you think'll happen to me if Konan finds out I fucking made you cry?"

Hidan was a warrior that prided himself on many qualities, no matter how sadistic others found them to be. His fearlessness was one such quality he took great pleasure in having.

Normally, if someone had threatened him with the promise of pain from Konan he would have simply scoffed and raised a dismissive hand, boasting that he wasn't afraid of the "fuckin' paper-cut bitch".

But lately, Konan had seemed even scarier than usual...one minute, she was as calm as ever, perhaps even more _cheerful_, but only whenever the baby was around. However, when the baby cried, or one of the members complained even a little about having said infant in the organization or suggested anything to bring harm upon her, Konan became a force to be reckoned with.

Like an angry mother grizzly bear protecting her cub. No one dared cross her when she was in such a state. Even an immortal like Hidan, who lived for the thrill of battle and loved receiving pain as much as inflicting it, didn't feel like having his head cut off and his limbs severed.

"Oi, oi...! Watch this," he sat her back down on his torso and punched himself in the face so hard his eyes rolled to the back of his head. It would've killed any normal person, but to Hidan it felt like little more than a light smack over his head. Besides, his partner hit harder than that self-inflicted injury, and he had taken plenty of Kakuzu's abuse in the past.

Wordlessly, Hikari blinked, tilting her head to the side. She wasn't quite sure what to think of his little trick, but at least it had got her to stop tearing up, so Hidan was happy. He gave a sigh of relief.

"Ok kid, time for you to take a fucking nap." he told her, but when he went to place her back in the pen, she whined disagreeably and clung onto him all the tighter.

"What the fuck, let go already you damned brat!" he grabbed her waist and began to pull none too gently as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.

"Nngh!" she scrunched her face up, looking ready to cry again.

"Urgh!" Hidan grunted in frustration, giving a few more harsh jerks. "Damnit!" he took a minute to scratch his head, the infant still hanging from around his neck like a baby sloth. How the hell could such a little brat have such inhuman strength? Maybe there was a reason Pein had an eye on this kid after all...

Suddenly, an idea came into his head and he gave a wide, sinister grin.

Hours later, Konan came in to the room to see the TV on and Hidan passed out on the couch. She glanced around the room, noticing the empty playpen with a smile as she walked by it to the kitchen. Wait, _empty playpen_? She quickly did a double-take to find that the playpen was, indeed empty.

Instantly, her blood froze up in her veins as her mind rushed through a million scenarios. _The baby was missing, the baby was missing... _This thought seemed to echo in her head continuously.

After inquiring of Hikari's whereabouts, she had finally found out from Sasori that he'd put her in her playpen after catching her trying to fool with some of his poisonous puppets again.

Hikari may have been an energetic baby, but she had nowhere near enough control over her limbs yet to have escaped the playpen by herself. Konan gritted her teeth, transforming her arm into a paper sword and slamming it down near Hidan's head.

He jumped, eyes wide as he looked at the silently fuming blue-haired woman standing over him. But before he could even question her actions, she'd seized him by the front of his cloak, and was glaring at him with all the killing intent an angry mother could muster._ "Where's...my...baby?" _she hissed.

**-XoXoXoXo-**

Hikari was having so much fun exploring! She hadn't ever been allowed out unattended before. It was just a stroke of luck Hidan forgot about her while making her bottle and left her in the kitchen to drink it, returning to his gruesome movie marathon after fixing himself a sandwich.

This had given baby Hikari the chance to climb down from the kitchen table where she'd been left, onto a chair and then onto the tiled floor, crawling her way out of the kitchen and all the way out near the back of the Akatsuki base, where the training field, and Zetsu's greenhouse of dangerous and exotic plants were. She had easily made it through the small flap in the glass door, using it like a dog door.

Now she was in the midst of the contained jungle, gazing at all the plants she'd never seen before in her short life. she was attracted to some of the sweet-smelling blossoms with their brightly colored petals and clumsily crawled towards one: a bright red plant with white polka dot patterns on its petals. It was huge!

Even an adult could easily fall inside and be trapped. Hikari tentatively reached a finger out to touch it when she was hoisted into the air. And not a moment too soon as the giant plant lashed out at the spot she'd been in not even seconds ago, snapping at the air before resuming its carefully dormant state. The child blink with wide eyes, not fully comprehending what had happened, only knowing that one minute she was on the ground, and now she wasn't.

She gazed up into eerie yellow eyes staring at her blankly from inside a green appendage around a strangely bi-colored face. The person had a mess of green hair on their head, and she tilted her head to the side in curiosity as she studied them.

"What were you **fucking doing out here**?" the plant-like creature asked her. "Who was supposed to be watching **the damn kid anyway**?" the color-split, seemingly bipolar man continued to ask himself a series of rhetorical questions. He studied the baby sharply.

She was in one of her newest outfits, a light pink one-piece suit covered in little yellow polka dots with a chibi bunny on the front. In her soft patch of hair was a single pink bow, and around her tiny baby wrist, a silver charm bracelet.

It was the only clue they'd had about her identity since it was the only thing of value she'd been wearing when they'd found her. But there were only two charms on the bracelet, and neither gave any real information that could help them unlock the mystery of who this child was and where she'd come from.

"**It would be easiest just to make a snack of you**, but Leader-sama has specifically instructed no harm is to come to you." the cannibalistic man, called Zetsu, held the babe inside his cloak as he melted into the ground, reappearing through one of the wall's in the base.

This particular room, once a holding chamber of sorts for prisoners, had hastily been reconstructed into a nursery upon the child's arrival, and now, it was filled to the brim with cutesy pink things, fluffy stuffed animals, and baby products.

There was no sign of it ever having been anything but a baby's safe haven. He carefully laid the little girl down in her crib, only to look down and see her watching him curiously with those big, innocent eyes of hers.

"**Such a small, defenseless (tasty-looking) creature**...it's almost somewhat endearing in a way." One half of Zetsu's mouth rose in a gentle smile, the other dark half's lips sneering coldly.

Hikari cast her gaze up to see the chibi animals dangling above her head spinning slowly, and soon her eyes were lulled into drifting closed. The Akatsuki's baby had survived her new life, but the struggles the organization and its precious infant would face had only just begun.

* * *

**Ok, now the other members finally start to appear! Yay~ I'm so excited! Please note that this is towards the beginning of the Naruto storyline. Hikari, who is the same age as Naruto and the others (**_**I think**_**; you'll understand this later), is taken in before Deidara and Itachi joined. But they will appear later on as scheduled. Right now, Orochimaru is still Sasori's partner. Oh, and I made a few slight adjustments to other members ages. I don't know exactly at **_**what**_** point Hidan, Deidara and some of the others joined, but I'm assuming at some point toward the end of part 1 in the series. But in this story, many of the members are still teenagers at the beginning when they join. Just so you don't get confused; and I know this may not be accurate, but just bear with it for the sake of the story, alright?**

**Also, let me know what you think by **_**reviewing**_**! (Just no flames).**


	3. Growing Up Akatsuki Style!

**This chapter took a really long time to write...anyway, please review!**

* * *

**Ch. 3:** Growing Up Akatsuki Style!

"So when the fuck is she supposed to start talking?" Hidan asked lazily one afternoon.

Konan stood in the middle of the Akatsuki's living room, feeding Hikari her bottle. "When she's ready." she snapped, shooting the Jashinist a scathing look.

Hidan lifted up both hands, seemingly in his own defense before scoffing. "Just thought I'd fucking ask. How old is she supposed to be now? She's still so damn puny."

"Five months this week." Konan took the now empty bottle from the infant's mouth and gave Hidan a sideways glance. "Since when did you care about Hikari anyway?"

"I don't, just figured if the fucking shit's gonna live here...she should at least start pulling her own damn weight. And not just in shitty-ass diapers." he grumbled.

Konan was about to respond when a rumbling voice cut her off, "For once, I can agree with the jackass. The kid's costing us money. If she's going to live here, she's going to have to start contributing in some way." Kakuzu grumbled, walking into the room with his checkbook in hand.

"She's five months old." the blue-haired woman scowled. "It's not exactly like she can go out and get a job. Leader-sama already decided she could stay, so if you have any issues with it, I suggest you settle them with him." she replied curtly, spinning on her heel and storming out of the room, the long cloak billowing behind her.

The two men stared after her, before the Jashinist turned towards his partner. "What the fuck got up_ her_ ass?"

**-XoXoXoXo-**

Konan sat in the nursery in silence, in the middle of a deep meditation as Hikari watched her from atop the changing table, sucking on her fist, curiosity etched in her stormy gray eyes. She could feel the tense wall of chakra surrounding her adoptive mother that told her instinctively something was wrong. The young infant had never seen the blue-haired woman worked up. Probably because Konan never _had _been. There was never any reason to be.

No matter what the other members said to piss her off, she was generally able to ignore it by reminding herself that she was their superior, second only to Pein. Not to mention that she wasn't exactly a pushover when it came to skill.

Her paper-based jutsu may have been riddled with some notable flaws, but she was easily able to deflect them with consistent training to strengthen her other skills, along with the right strategic planning. No matter the opponent she was up against, she'd made herself a force to be reckoned with and a powerful shinobi in her own right.

And when the time came, she would train Hikari to be the same way. But...deep down, something was bothering her. It was like an annoying nagging sort of feeling she just couldn't shake. Was it because maybe she questioned whether or not becoming a ninja was the right path for such a delicate soul?

Right now as a baby, whatever skills she might possess or the chances she had as a ninja were hazy and hard to grasp. There was really no way to know how well she'd do as a shinobi until she was at least old enough to attend an academy and her formal ninja training could begin.

But what if it turned out she wasn't cut out to be a shinobi? She doubted her partner would take pity on the child or decide to let her stay anyway.

No, there was only one thing that would happen if she proved to be useless... and Konan was dreading the possibility. Like all mothers, she wanted her child to become something great, but she also knew that as the Akatsuki's tool, she would have to face many hardships in life. There was a good chance she wouldn't even survive her training. But she knew Pein saw something special in the child, otherwise, she wouldn't be there.

When she'd followed Pein into the Akatsuki she had vowed to do whatever it took to fulfill his vision of a perfect world with him as supreme ruler, though they both knew they'd be answering to someone else...the _true_ head of the Akatsuki.

She was loyal to Pein one hundred percent, and would be until her dying breath, but she was torn between that very same loyalty, and the maternal instincts she'd never thought she'd feel that told her to protect.

She cast a quick glance at the changing table to see Hikari on her back with her legs in the air, kicking her feet back and forth and cooing to herself in amusement. A small smile pulled at her lips. How long had it been since she was that innocent and care-free?

So many years had passed and so much had happened that she could hardly remember a time when there_ was_ anything else but the chaos of life as a rogue shinobi. Maybe that was why she was being so high-strung and sensitive.

Maybe her subconscious was projecting her past self onto this child, and she wanted to protect her innocence for as long as possible. She couldn't imagine the infant lying on the table ever being able to take a life.

Had she been the same way as a baby? Had someone ever looked down at her and smiled, and seen a sweet, innocent creature full of a promising future? The kunoichi couldn't remember. The little she remembered about her life before the war that left her and so many other children orphaned was nothing but a single blur.

Just seeing the way she acted around the feared Akatsuki, it was easy to see she was a bubbly child by nature. What would she do when faced with the cold realties and brutal ways of ninja life? Only time would tell. In a moment of silent contemplation, Konan hoped desperately that the harsh road that awaited her would somehow be kinder and more forgiving than it had been doing her own childhood. _'Pein...I just hope you know what you're doing.'_

**-XoXoXoXo-**

Hikari looked around at the familiar faces crowded together in a circle with her in the center. Today was the one year anniversary of Konan adopting her and she'd decided to celebrate by throwing a small party. It was mandatory that all members not on missions come, and everyone gathered looked less than enthused.

Except Konan, who was wearing a tiny smile, and Pein who looked as aloof as ever. However, his eyes didn't appear as dead as usual, as if he were almost amused at the whole thing. Konan led everyone in singing the 'Happy Birthday' song, although everyone either mumbled it quietly or stood there solemnly, waiting for the torture to be over. "Blow out your candles now, Hikari." the blue haired woman told her.

The baby tilted her head to the side, looking down on the lopsided, home-made cake with the words 'Happy Birthday, Hikari!' messily scrawled across the top in baby blue icing. After a few near fatal attempts, Konan had managed to make an edible birthday cake, since Kakuzu was too cheap to spring for a professionally made one from the village bakery.

Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Sasori had been roped into joining the celebration, and only Kisame managed to keep up the small grin on his face. He always did like parties, though he generally preferred it if there was sake.

Sighing, Pein lifted the little girl into his arms, setting her down on his leg and leaning over her shoulder to blow all the candles out himself. Better to get that part of this tradition done with as soon as possible and prevent a catastrophe than have something literally blow up in their faces.

He may have trusted Konan as his second in command, but not with cooking. He placed her back down in her high chair so she was almost eye level with the cake and watched her examine it curiously. Even though she probably wouldn't remember anything that happened, she still seemed fascinated by it all anyway. Though he'd never admit it aloud, Pein found it to be quite cute.

Hikari looked at the cake, trying to figure out what it was for. It looked soft and mushy and it smelt a little burnt, but she was able to figure out it was supposed to be some kind of food. Slowly, she reached out a small hand to grab at the plate of cake in front of her while Konan turned around to find a knife to cut it with.

Grabbing a handful of the stuff in her tiny fist, she squished it between her fingers before looking around the table at the bored expressions. One face in particular immediately caught her attention and she locked her eyes on the silver-haired man slumped against the refrigerator standing a few feet away. He looked like he was the most annoyed of all to be there, aside from maybe Sasori.

With a determined look and a fling of her wrist, she let the squished cake in her hand fly, directly hitting her target dead-center. She giggled through her hands as she placed them both over her mouth, studying the Jashinist's slowly coloring face. Snarling, he wiped the cake from his eyes, "W-what the fuck?" he sputtered, glancing around in search of the guilty party.

Konan turned around, blinking once with the cutting knife in her hand. "What is it now?" she asked flatly. Was it too much to ask to have one Akatsuki gathering where everything went off without a hitch...? Apparently so.

"That...that damned little brat just threw fucking cake at me!" he pointed to the giggling baby. Pein looked on with an amused smirk, and Konan shook her head with a gentle sigh. Kisame actually burst out laughing, Kakuzu grunted in what could be considered vague amusement, and Sasori remained impassive.

Konan rolled her eyes before turning back to the cake, noticing that there was indeed, tiny hand prints on the side. She chuckled quietly to herself and began cutting pieces. She gave Hikari the first piece, and the infant was delighted to smash her fists in the cake before lifting them up to her face.

Hidan was handed the second piece, grimacing as he accepted the cake. Pein of course, being an almighty god, did not eat sweets. It had _nothing _to do with who cooked the cake. He was simply watching his weight, being that he was a shinobi...

Sure, he couldn't_ die_ from eating it, but...Konan's cooking had been known to cause severe stomachaches. Kakuzu silently accepted the cake, discreetly dumping it into a nearby potted plant when no one was looking. Sasori stared mutely at the piece in his hands...wondering what would happen if he actually ate it, being a puppet and all. Kisame accepted the last and largest piece, since he _was _the biggest person there, and ate it in barely two bites.

After this, the cake was cleared, and it was time for presents. Pein placed Hikari into her highchair, pulled up to the table.

"Who's first?" Konan inquired, and Kisame stepped forward with a grin. He stood towering over the little girl in her high chair and yet, instead of bursting into tears, she clapped happily, giving him a wide, toothless grin. His dark eyes softened ever so slightly.

He held out a giant blue hand and she placed her tiny palm in his. She was small and fragile, but so spirited and fearless. He was looking forward to training her as she grew older. "Here hime, this is for you. Just try not to break it." He gave a chuckle as he placed a small glass orb the size of an orange down in front of her with a mirage of tropical fish swimming by in the ocean inside.

Hikari's eyes stayed glued to the image, obviously in awe. She stuck a fist in her mouth as she watched the beautiful hologram then looked back up at the giant blue man and pointed a finger. "Sah!"she exclaimed, obviously trying to refer to Kisame's resemblance of the fish in her new snow globe. She still couldn't really talk, so the Akatsuki usually had to guess at what she was trying to get at.

They all snickered quietly, understanding what she meant. Kisame gave her a sheepish grin, lifting her onto his shoulder. He may not have looked like it, but he had a soft spot for the quirky tyke. She was probably the first child to look at him without running away screaming, and she was adorable.

As Konan began recording Hikari's opening of the remaining gifts with a video camera, and everyone watched idly, Hidan scoffed, leaning against the counter with an unimpressed face. "What's the big fucking deal? She blows a spit bubble and you fuckers squeal like pansies, she says _half _a damn word and you piss yourselves, what are you gonna do next, dance naked when she starts walking?" Konan sent him a reproachful look and he shrugged lazily, but shut up all the same.

Next, Sasori stepped forward, looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else, and placed a box of wooden blocks down on the table. Each had a letter of the alphabet or number. "You made her...a block set?" Kisame gave a short laugh.

"Would you rather her play with blocks and learn from them, or have the intelligence of one?" the puppeteer replied. "She should start learning as soon as possible if she has any chance of being a shinobi."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually cared." Kakuzu snorted.

"I guess that shows how much you _do_ know then, because I don't. But the thought of having yet another loudmouthed idiot around makes me at least want her to be somewhat talented."

"It's a very practical gift, Sasori." Pein nodded. Konan smiled as Hikari picked up a block and studied it.

"You're next Hidan." Konan said, eyeing the Jashinist expectantly.

Hidan gave her a disbelieving look. "Do you seriously think I actually got that damned brat a present? I didn't even wanna fucking come to this thing!"

"Since you're here, you must present Hikari with something regardless." Pein commanded, giving him his best 'I'm-leader-so-do-what-I-say' look.

"Fuck_ that_! I already wasted enough damn time with this shit." As if sensing his anger, the dark-haired infant began to sniffle. Everyone stared at the baby, then slowly looked at the silver-haired sadist. Pein picked her up as she continued to cry and hiccup.

"Hidan," Konan hissed lowly.

"Shit, she fucking cries for _everything_!" Hidan griped.

"Perhaps you'd like to be the one to babysit her the next time we're on a mission then?" Pein said, his steely eyes narrowed. In the background, Sasori smirked and Kisame snickered. It was obvious that they would never leave the baby _alone_ with someone as reckless as Hidan, but just watching the way his face paled was priceless.

In the end, Hidan had to let Kakuzu knock him silly until Hikari was satisfied to keep her from crying, and the happy little tot had the most exciting birthday a one year old could possibly have. Especially considering who her "family" was.

A week later, Hikari took her first clumsy steps, much to the pleasure of her adoptive parents. Merciless criminals though they may have been, Pein and Konan had become every bit the doting parents. Even if they didn't gush over their new "daughter" constantly, the pride was still there. For the rest of that afternoon, she toddled after Kisame, who spent the rest of the day playing with the baby as it was his turn to babysit.

Needless to say, Sasori wasn't happy about the progress she made when he came back from a mission several weeks later to see her happily tottering around on her own. Now she would_ really_ wreak havoc on his things. And so he spent the next few days baby proofing his work room with special seals.

She learned to run soon afterwards, mostly thanks to Orochimaru, who scared her into fleeing every time she laid eyes on the snake. Though she'd often run into furniture or walls...causing Hidan to comment about how the baby probably had brain damage.

If this happened when someone was around, she would sniffle and whine until someone came to see what was wrong with her. Otherwise, she loved being able to toddle around and watch what everyone was doing. She still didn't understand why Sasori got so mad at her when she chewed on his puppets (she _was _teething after all), or why Hidan always hurt himself.

Something about seeing him covered in blood always made her scream, much to the Jashinist's annoyance. That, and the fact that every time Konan heard her scream and came running only to see that it was because of _Hidan_, she'd knock him senseless with whatever hard object was nearby. And that was one kind of pain the Jashinist did _not _enjoy.

Needless to say Hikari didn't understand a lot about her 'family', but she instinctively felt the need to be with them as much as she could. Konan had taken to showing Hikari how she made her origami, hoping it might somehow trigger the infant into using her own hidden skills, and sometimes, Pein even let her play with his many piercings as she sat in his lap while he did his office work.

Kakuzu started trying to teach her money management, by explaining the proper way to balance a checkbook and letting her watch him while he managed the money, but she usually fell asleep when he started speaking of finances, and soon the frustrated treasurer decided it wasn't worth his precious time.

Sasori gave up on keeping her out of his things, and instead would amuse himself with the baby in between perfecting his puppets and concocting new poisons by attaching his puppet strings to her arms and legs and making her dance around like a marionette, something the little infant actually thought was quite fun.

Her _favorite_ pastime however, was still playing with Hidan. Well, _she _thought it was fun anyway. He always looked so irritated when she crawled onto his stomach to poke him in the face while he slept. Or chewed on his necklace, though that did hurt her gums a bit...

It wasn't long before she began babbling in an attempt to form words, and the Akatsuki quickly learned that their little princess was quite the chatter box when she wanted to be.

"Kuu!" she called from her high chair one day, pointing at the masked man as he walked into the kitchen. He simply brushed by her to make himself a cup of coffee, something she wasn't too happy about. "Kuuuu!" she whined, holding out one hand to him and grabbing at the air pitifully.

Sasori, who had been tasked with the duty of feeding the tyke, simply grunted, aiming the rubber spoon of strained carrots at her quivering lips yet again. "Open up, brat." She ignored him, however, flailing both her arms at Kakuzu, who had sat down at the table with his cup of coffee going over the organization's bi-annual finance report.

Sasori growled; he wasn't in the mood to play peek-a-boo with a child, and he wasn't about to let a mere infant get the best of him either. He swiftly jabbed her in the stomach with two fingers. She squirmed, whining a little more. "Orii," she moaned unhappily.

Ah yes, she still wasn't able to properly say his name...which irked him a bit for some reason. She knew how to say Pein and Konan's already. Well, actually, she had given them the nicknames of "daa" and "mii". But that was like saying mommy and daddy, so why couldn't she say Sa-so-ri yet?

"I told you brat, it's _Sa-so-ri_, got it?"

Hikari simply gave him a frown, now trying to wiggle her way out of her highchair unsuccessfully. She grunted and whined miserably as Sasori watched blankly, waiting for her to wear herself out so he could force feed the vegetables down her little throat and be done with it.

"_If that's your idea of babysitting_, **I hate to see how you play with your dolls.**" Zetsu had materialized through the wall again, a trick that never ceased to amaze and delight the infant.

Hikari squealed as she watched the bi-colored nin emerge completely, clapping giddily. "Whee! Ze!" she cheered. She seemed to be especially fond of Zetsu for some reason, not at all fazed or frightened by his split personality.

"I thought you were on patrol." Kakuzu grunted, not looking up from his bank notes.

"_Well, there wasn't very much going on right now._ **Though the rogue nin I caught was rather tasty."** Zetsu's dark side grinned devilishly, licking his lips.

"Zezu, up!" Hikari commanded, holding her arms out to the plant-like man.

He calmly lifted the baby into his arms, and she happily cuddled against him. "_You're getting bigger _**and more scrumptious looking every day.**"

"You know, if you like the little brat so much, you could try feeding her." Sasori said, eyeing them from the corner of his eye as Zetsu bounced the baby in his arms and she giggled.

"_I suppose I wouldn't mind_ **so long as you take over for me when it's my turn to do diaper duty.**"

"Done." Sasori agreed, getting up. When the time came, he would just make sure he was conveniently unavailable.

Just as he was exiting, Hidan entered, stretching his arms above his head with a yawn, grumbling to himself. "Fuck...what a night."

The Akatsuki treasurer eyed his partner from the corner of his narrowed eyes, "And just where the hell were you all night?"

The Jashinist lazily rotated his shoulder blades and popped a few loose joints back into place. "I just had a little fucking adventure in some shitty ass little village and made a few more sacrifices to Jashin-sama." he shrugged, "What the fuck is it to you?"

The older of the _Zombie Twins_ simply grunted and went back to his counting, "Don't get too reckless, you dumbass. The last thing we need is to draw attention from some nosey villagers."

Hidan gave a cocky grin before snorting, "Let the bastards fucking talk! What can a bunch of weak bitches who aren't even shinobi do anyway? Stab me to fucking death with their little pitch forks?" he laughed maniacally at the thought. Just imagining the screams of pure horror when they realized he couldn't be killed got his blood running wild with excitement! It'd been a while since he'd massacred a whole village, what with his partner always on his ass...

"Hi-hi!" a little voice suddenly squealed, making his blood turn hot for another reason. And that damn little bitch to look after...why the hell were they keeping her around again? She didn't even know how to fucking talk, and she put food up her nose!

Babysitting was not what he signed up for, and every time they told him he had to watch her, he wanted to strangle something. He hated the little brat! Hikari gave him her usual toothless grin, her eyes twinkling.

No one really knew why she was so fascinated by the Jashinist but Hikari herself. Needless to say the other Akatsuki members were quite amused to watch the foul-mouthed Hidan cringe in the presence of a mere infant.

Hidan glared, muttered curses under his breath, and stalked out of the room, Hikari struggling to reach him. "_Where are you going,_ _**Hi-kun**_?" Zetsu questioned, snickering.

"As fucking far away from you heathens as possible!" he yelled back.

**-XoXoXo-**

Hikari toddled down the hall, toward the one place no infant should ever be. She had gotten pretty good at this whole walking thing by now, but she still needed some work on her balance. Her steps were always clumsy and she teetered as if she would fall over if she stopped suddenly.

The doors to all the rooms were closed, as usual, and since she couldn't read, the kanji carved into the wood might as well have been gibberish, which was ironic since that was all she spoke, but still...

She sucked her thumb and chose to go to the door at the very end of the hall. The only door that was cracked open with a light under it. She got down on all fours to look under the crack in the door. That was when she saw her worst nightmare.

A thin, dark-haired man with strangely pale skin was holding a glass vial and muttering something. He chuckled, seeming quite pleased with himself. The baby whimpered in fear at the eerie noise of his laughter, trying to scoot back and away from the door.

Hikari stumbled onto her feet and began running away as fast her chubby little legs could go. But the sanin she had just witnessed experimenting wasn't a legend for nothing, and he moved into the hall at lightning speed, standing right in her path. She squealed, her eyes going wide with fear, as he smiled down at her, his eyes cold. "Well, well...how cute. It seems you've caught me right in the middle of my last...project." he told her. "But that's ok, I _always _have time to play with cute little spies like you."

The gleeful laughter that bubbled from his lips struck pure terror into her tiny heart, and she screamed shrilly as he lifted her into the air and reentered the room. This time, he made sure the door was locked and sealed, placing a sound proof barrier over the walls of his lab.

She shivered in the middle of the cold metal table, her eyes watering as she watched him pace the floor. He turned around to a shelf of vials filled with different shades of mysterious fluids, all as potent looking as the next. "Now let's see...in order to perfect my immortality jutsu, I'll need a nice, young volunteer with a bounty of chakra. Luckily, I just so happen to have found one." he turned to her and flashed her a malicious smile.

Hikari squirmed, her whines getting louder and more desperate. "Yes," he walked to her, stroking her soft cheek with a long finger. "You're quite the exceptional little specimen. Your body has ten times the chakra of any normal child, and yet, there's not a trace of a Tailed Beast inside you, my dear. You are quite the remarkable child indeed; my superiors were quite lucky in searching you out. But it's unfortunate they won't be the ones to obtain your power, because as soon as they train you to harness it, _I'll_ be there to take it away." He gripped her chin roughly and she wailed in protest, tears falling heavily from her large eyes now.

He wondered exactly how to extract her power. Should he wait until she grew up and then make her his minion with a curse seal, use her as one of his future bodies, perhaps? Or should he simply kidnap her after she unlocked her kekkei genkai and dissect her body for its secrets? There were so many ways it could be done...but not now.

She wasn't ready yet. Her bloodline had yet to bloom and she remained full of raw, untapped potential. But the snake sanin had a good eye for talent, and he knew there was something worth watching in this one. "I think I'll just wait for you to draw it out on your own, my dear..." he began, stopping his sentence when he felt chakra pushing up from under his feet. "Oh my, it seems I have another visitor. How nice of you to pop in, Zetsu-san."

The monochrome shinobi appeared from the ground, the flytrap appendage snapping open to reveal the glinting gold eyes and sharp-toothed mouth twisted in a frown. "_Orochimaru-san..._**cut the shit and hand over the kid, you snake.**"

Needless to say that Zetsu was in a foul mood, but who wouldn't be when faced with the sight of a leering Orochimaru? He had been tunneling under the base when a sharp spike of chakra had pushed out like probing tendrils, alerting him to possible danger.

He had suspected an intruder, until he was able to pinpoint the source from directly under the sanin's lair. He saw the disheveled infant sprawled on the table, her eyes leaking, her cheeks red, and her chakra almost reaching out to him, desperately. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on, though Zetsu wasn't exactly a fool.

Orochimaru stepped aside wordlessly, as Zetsu took the baby from the table and began to disappear back into the ground, but not before giving the legendary shinobi one last chilling look. His golden eyes and the top of the flytrap was the only part of him still visible as he regarded Orochimaru, not at all fazed by the deadly sanin's power.

"**Leader-sama wants the kid alive.** _We have to respect his wishes..._**you may be a sanin but remember that even the mightiest shinobi are mere insects in comparison to the Akatsuki**. _And I eat insects._" He left him with that simple warning.

Zetsu opened his appendage back on the surface, glancing down to see that the baby appeared exhausted, but except for the bruise under her chin was otherwise unharmed. He rippled through the wall of the hallway, where he felt several different chakras, only to see Kisame looking panicked, and a bored looking Sasori standing by an agitated Hidan. "Are you sure you didn't execute the brat during one of your stupid rituals?" the puppet was asking flatly.

"_For the last fucking time_, I did _not_ touch the little bitch! She just vanished, damnit, and I had nothing to do with it. And the next time you insult my fucking religion I will burn your puppet ass in the name of Jashin-sama!" Hidan had his scythe out and was pointing it at the neck of a very blank-faced puppeteer.

"Shit, can you two just help me look for one-" They noticed Zetsu materializing at that particular moment, and when he pulled the trembling little girl out of his cloak to show the quarreling trio, everyone got quiet.

"**Damn, I've never seen a sorrier ass bunch of babysitters. **_While you idiots were arguing, she got into Orochimaru's lab._" he informed them.

Kisame quickly rushed forward to take Hikari back from the plant man, while Hidan leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest, telling Sasori, "Ha! I fucking _told_ you so!"

"Don't do that again, hime." the ex-Mist swordsman sighed with relief. "If Leader-sama and Konan knew I lost you, they'd gut me like, well, like a fish." he grinned at the baby, who was slightly calmer now that she was no longer in life or death danger.

Her eyes found Zetsu and she smiled up at him gratefully. "**This is the second time I've had to save your ass, kid.**" his dark side grunted. "_Try to be more careful._" his lighter side chided gently.

Hikari just kept staring at him like he was her knight in shining armor. "_Why do I feel like_, **I'll be saving your dumb ass a lot in the future?**" Zetsu muttered. Hikari simply grinned.

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**I hope this chapter turned out alright...didn't like it too much personally. Sorry, I promise to try harder on the next one. Please, please, _pleeeease_ review though!**


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